Feitz august loeschee



No. 753,152.1 k PATENTBD PEB. 23, 1904.

' P.. A. LOESCHER.

HULL-IG AND SGOURING MAGHINE.

. APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 5, 1900. v

No MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

om". D. n.

No. 753,152. PATENTE-D PEB. 2s, 1904.

' P. A. LoBscHBR. v

HULLING ANDA SGOURING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILD SEPT. 5, 1900.

N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented February .23, 1904.

PATENT OEEICE.

FRITZ AUGUST LOESCHER, OF PORTLAND, OREGON.

,HULLING AND soouRlNe. MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION formingr part of Letters Patent No. 753,152, dated.FebruaryY Y23, 1904.

Application filed September 5, 1900. Serial No. 29,089. (No model.)

To all whom, it may cori/cern:

Beitlrnown that LFnrrz AUGUST LoEsoHER, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Portland, in the county 'of Multnomah and State ofOregon, have invented a new and use ful Improvement in Hulling andSecuring Machines, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings as a part thereof.

My invention relates to machines for hulling and scouring rice and otherfood material of the grain form. My machine was more especially designedfor rice; but it may also be advantageously used for other grains.

All grains of the character of rice require to be thoroughly scoured inorder to remove their outer coating or bran and their germ. Thisrequired treatment of the grain by the machines heretofore in use wasunsatisfactorily accomplished. W'hen adjusted to perform their workexpeditiously, their treatment of the grain was too rough, excessivelyheating the sameand breaking too` large a percentage of the kernels, andwhen adjusted to not lbring about v such undesirable result then thescouring was generally imperfectly done and it was necessary to run thegrain several times successively through ,the machine beforesatisfactory results could be obtained. Such procedure would of courseconsume considerable time, with the effect of'diminishing the capacityof the machines and increasing the cost of production.

The object of my invention is to overcome the defects above referred toand effectively and expeditiously scour and perfectly clean rice andgrains in large quantities. To accomplish this work, one of the featuresof my invention is thatthe grain to be scoured falls to the bottom ofthe machine, and here the scouring operation begins, the grain beinggradually worked outward by centrifugal force into a peripheral casingVencompassf course, thereby lengthening the period of time during whichit is subjected to the work of the scouring devices. VThe mechanism andcontrivances wherebyT this work is accent plished by my machine, aswellas the general construction and features of the latter, are illustratedin the accompanying drawings referred to. Y

In the drawings, Figurel is a longitudinal vertical section aboutcentrally taken through' my machine. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal verticalsection of the housing Z, inclosing the runner f. Fig. 3 is a sideelevation of such housing. Fig. 4 is a plan section of my machine on aline 1 1 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is an enlarged' vertical section giving adetail of the means for alining or leveling the housing UZ. Fig. 6 is apartial vertical section of the outlet part of the housing al. Fig. 7 isa partial front elevation of said outlet. Fig. 8 is a partial plansection showing a portion of the plate and casings 13 and 14, being apart of the housing al, and the perforated ears 15H 8 for securing thesaid parts. Fig. 9 is a partial vertical section of the bearings for thefoot of the shaft e, supporting the runner f. Fig. 10 i shows amodification in the perforations of the casing 14, which will be morefully explained in the body of this specication. Fig. 1l is a partialplan section through such perforated casing 14; and Fig. 12 is a plansection of the central bearing lfor the shaft c, such section beingtaken on a line pointed by the arrow 2 inFig. 1. 4

The letters and numerals designate the parts referred to in thedescription of my invention hereinafter given.

My machine is supported on a table e, the standards or legs ai' of whichrest on a base la. In the central part of such base is attached a blockc', centrally perforated, and on this is secured a box j, having aiianged base and a lug for the short end of the levermto rest on. Saidlever has `an eye orring n, and the extremityA of the long end thereofis attached to a rod 0, having a threaded upper extremity extendingthrough a bearing p and being Vertically adjustable by means ofhand-wheel g. In the eye or ring n of the lever fm is inserted a box r,supporting the base of the shaft e by IOO its spindle s, as illustratedin Fig. 9. The central portion of the shaft e is supported in the box t,secured to the under side of the table a and having segments of bushingu, faced with babbitt or like serviceable material, adjustably setagainst the shaft e by means of set-screws o, as shown in Fig. 12.

On the upper end of the shaft'e is aiiixed a runner f. Such runnercomprises a cast-iron annular box w, having a central opening in` closedby an upwardly-tapering annular wall y, provided with ribs centrallyholding an eye z, in which the upper end of the shaft e is keyed. Thecasing of the runner f is filled up with cement 4, the upper surface ofwhich is sloped inwardly, as shown in Fig. 1. On the portion y ismounted an extension 3, being in form of a truncated hollow cone andhaving a flanged perforated base for bolting the same to the part y. Thebottom and the circumference of the runner are faced with a workingsurface, being coated with emery 4a l toa depth of about three-fourthsof an inch.

The runner is provided with vertical holes 34 in which to fill shot, soas to-balance the runner.

On the upper surface of the table a" is mounted a cast-iron plate b,having peripheral openings 6, which extend through the table andcommunicate with a dust-chamber 7, provided on the under side of thetable. The plate is adjustably supported on the table, for which purposesaid plate is provided with perforated ears 8, disposed about the rim ofsuch plate, in which ears are inserted set-screws 9, the upper ends ofwhich set-screws are squared, so as to be adjustable by the key. Thebase of the set-screws rests on blocks of metal 10 set into the surfaceof the table, and a nut 11 is placed on the set-screw under the ears 8,so that by adjusting the set-screw 9 the plate may be properly leveled.'The plate I) is held against lateral displacement by means ofringsegments 5, which are affixed to the table. rlhe upper surface ofthe plate has also a coating of emery Z2,so as to cooperate with theunder side of the runner.

The runner rotates in a housing comprising a top or roof 12 and twoannular walls or casings 13 14. The outer wall or casing 13 hasperforated ears 15, whereby it may be secured on the rim ofthe plate b.1t is also provided with doors 16 for obtaining access to thedustcompartments between the partitions 17, which compartmentscommunicate through the openings 6 with the dust-chamber 7. The walls 1314 are secured to the annular rim on the under side of the top 12, andsaid walls are united by the partitions 17. The inner casing is providedwith elongated perforations which extend in opposite directions and aregrouped in series 19 20. The obj ect of grouping such perforations inseries and arranging such series alternately with each other is toimpart to the scouring grain an up-and-down travel while it is subjectedto the treatment of the runner, the perforations being made bystrikingthrough the metallic casing 14 inwardly, as illustrated in. Fig11, and thus leaving slightly-protruding marginal rid ges about theverge of such perforations, which ridges cause the grain to travel upand down while undergoing scouring, as mentioned. Since the object ofthe alternating series of perforations 19 20 is to prolong the travelofthe scouring grain through the machine and the scouring treatmentthereof, instead of having such groups of perforations arranged as shownin Fig. 2 the sections 19 2O may be respectively modified to thestructure illustrated by c g in Fig. 10-that is to say, so that eachsection shall comprise alternating perforations,` the perforations beinggrouped in series one-above the other and extending in oppositedirections, as shown in Fig. 10. rlhe outlet for the scoured materialthrough the housing CZ, encompassing the runner f, is provided with agate comprising two adjustable parts 21 218. My object in suchconstruction is, to enable one to adjust the gate according tocircumstances-that is to say, when the rice is to be subjected to allthe scouring the ma chine can perform the upper section 21a is raised towithin three inches of the top of said outlet, so as to bring -thelatteras close tothe roof of the casing as possible, the rice beingrequired to work its way up to the discharge-level of such spout. Ofcourse the longer the rice is retained in the casing about the runnerthe more scouring it will undergo. When, however, the rice will notstand so much scouring, then said upper section 21 is let down to aboutsix or seven inches below the roof of the casing, and consequently therice will then run out of the machine at a much lower level and muchsooner than under the first-mentioned adjustment of said gatesection.The described feature of said gate is essential to enable the machine tohandle different grades of rice or grain. On either side of such outletare provided projecting' walls 22 23, the former being attached to theinner casing 14 and the latter to the outer casing 13, and an apron 24,hinged between the walls 22, projecting from the inner casing, operatingto direct and discharge the scoured grain into the spout 25. As thevibrating of the machine while in operation is apt to displace thedoor-section 21a and gradually drop the same, such door may be providedwith a threaded rod 26, extending through a perfo- IOO IIO

IIS

ration in. a ledge projecting from the outer casing above the outlet andprovided with a nut 27, by adjusting which the door-section 21n may befixedly held in any desired elevation. A similar arrangement may beprovided for the door-section 21 to hold this up y supported in theinlet of my machine by a tripod 30, two arms of which are only shown,having set-screws 31. From one end of the dust-chamber 7 extends a pipe32, connected with a fan or air-suction apparatusY 33, the function ofwhich is to remove the refuse, and the continuous current of airlikewise serves to keep the grain in a cooler state while undergoingscouring. The shaft e is operated by a belt running from the.power-generator to the pulley 35.

The operation of my device is apparent from the description of itsmechanism. The grain being fed into the machine through the hopper fallsto the bottom and is continually held together in a compact mass, so asto be subjected to the treatment of the scouring devices throughout itstravel through vthe machine. The grain is gradually moved outwardlytoward the periphery of the runner f and enters the final-scouringchamber, which exists between the circumference of the runner and theinner casing 14, where the more effectual scouring is done with leastdanger to the kernels of the grain. The grain by its own gravity iscontinually kept in a compact mass until it reaches its outlet, duringthe travel to which it is tumbled and rolled over and over and drivenfirst in one direction and then in the other by reason of the zigzagarrangement of the perforations in such inner casing, and thus issubstantially assured the effective and complete scouring of each kernelof the mass ofv grain under treatment.

The inner surface of the perforated casing 14 is not designed to takepart in the scouring of thegrain, but merely guides the same up and downagainst the roughened or scouring peripheral surface of the runner andallows the refuse to be moved through the perforations by the action ofthe air-suction.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. In a scouring-machine, the combination with the table and the runner,of the plate, b, having perforated ears, set-screws 9, inserted in saidears, nuts on the set-screws, on which nuts the plate rests by its saidears; blocks set into the surface of the table on which rest theset-screws; means for holding the plate b against lateral displacement,and the outer and also receive the set-screws, 9, and nuts on the latterto secure the casing in place, substantially as described.

2. A scouring-machine comprising a table, the top of which hasperipheral openings, a dust-chamber, 7, on the under side of the table,a pipe, 32, leading therefrom, and an exhaustfan; a plate, Z1, alsohaving peripheral openings corresponding with those in the tabletop; therunner, f, having a central feed-opening, a casing for the runnercomprising a roof or top, 12, outer wall, 13, and inner perforated wall,14, the same being secured to` the rim, 18, on the under side of thetop, and unitedA by the partition, 17 g doors, 16, in the outer wallbetween said partitions; means securing the casing on the plate, b, andadjustably supporting the plate, on the table-top; a dischargepassage-way in the casingof the runner, a gate controlling suchpassage-way, such gate consisting of two vertically-adjustable sections;and means for securing said gate-sections in place as adjusted,substantially as described.

3. A scouring-machine comprising a table, the top of which hasperipheral openings, a dust-chamber 7, on the under side of the table, apipe 32, leading therefrom and an eX- haust-fan; a plate also havingperipheral openings corresponding with those in the table-top; therunner f, having a'central feedopening; a removable funnel-like hopperdischarging into said feed-opening and provided with a gate forcontrolling such discharge; a casing for the runner, comprising a roofor top 12, outer wall 13, and inner perforated wall 14, the same beingsecured to the rim, 18, on the under side of the top, and united bypartitions 17; doors 16 in the outerwall between said partitions; meansfor securing the casing on the plate Z, and adjustably supporting theplate on the table-top; a discharge passage-way in the casing of therunner, a gate controlling .such passage way, such gate consisting oftwo vertically-adjustable sections, and means for securing' saidgate-section in place as adjusted, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature, in thepresence of two witnesses, this 23d day of August, 1900.

FRITZ AUGUST LOESCHER.

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